MAURITS CORNELIS ESCHER

Metamorphosis II (B. 320)

Details

MAURITS CORNELIS ESCHER
Metamorphosis II (B. 320)
woodcut in colors, 1939-40, on three joined sheets of tissue-thin Japon, a fine impression with vibrant colors, signed in pencil, inscribed 'eigen druk', with wide margins, a few tiny places where touches of green or orange have been added by hand, very pale time staining, a few tiny weakened areas in the paper which have been reinforced on the reverse with tiny pieces of Japon, two creases at the extreme upper and right sheet edges, a tiny loss at the right sheet edge, several pinholes at the upper sheet edge, a few minor printing creases in the area of the town and the chessboard, otherwise in very good condition, framed
B. 7½ x 153 3/8 in. (190 x 3902 mm.)
S. 13 1/8 x 157½ in. (334 x 4003 mm.)

Lot Essay

One of Escher's most ambitious projects, the 13-foot Metamorphosis II marks the high point of the artist's career. An elaboration of Metamorphosis I, 1937, this woodcut in striking black, orange and green describes even more elaborate transformations and clever switches between the two- and three-dimensional than did the first, much smaller version. Begun soon after Escher's return to Holland from Belgium in 1939, this woodcut was printed only upon request, and thus the precise edition size is unknown. The technical challenge of printing a woodcut in colors on only three sheets of extremely fine paper was considerable; Escher often used five sheets for this print. That so few impressions of this print have been offered at auction attests to its rarity.

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